What You Need to Know About SOPA and PIPA and Why it Matters to You

If you’ve been online at all over the past few weeks, odds are you’ve run across stories, comments and posts regarding two pieces of current U.S. legislation: the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Both bills revolve around the issue of online piracy and protecting copyrighted materials. SOPA is a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and PIPA was introduced in the U.S. Senate. Generally, numerous media outlets, publishers and lobbyists for the media industry are in support of the bills. Detractors, including a majority of companies and associations in the technology industry, claim that these bills will have a negative, and even long-term detrimental effect, on the Internet’s stability, security and innovation.

Both pieces of legislation are complex and fairly difficult to understand. This Mashable article offers a succinct layman’s explanation of the two bills and where they stand today while this PR Daily article goes a bit more in depth. Currently, SOPA is being held up in the House, but the Senate is planning a vote on PIPA as early as next week. All of this is causing quite a stir online. Multiple prominent online companies - including Wikipedia, Reddit and Mozilla - are planning a 24-hour blackout tomorrow in protest of both SOPA and PIPA.

The subject of online copyright enforcement has been around as long as the Internet and impacts companies of all sizes. The same can be said about innovation, creativity and the sharing of ideas and information online. Where do you stand?

An Emerging Trend for 2012: The Collision of Social Media and Crisis Communication

The most frequent questions I encountered in 2011 included: what should we do when a detrimental story about our company breaks online? How do you respond to social media posts or comments from angry customers, or even disgruntled employees? Or do you avoid response and consider deleting comments? Worse, how do you stop the spread of misinformation, or blatantly false claims about your CEO, company or its products?

It used to be that the worst-case scenario for a business going through a crisis was a story appearing on an evening network newscast or in the morning paper. Today, the greater risk is what happens to that story, or any unfavorable story for that matter, when it is broadcasted across social networks. In the era of social media, not only does the public have the opportunity to say, report and offer opinions at will, but they are able to do so without any type of factual check and balance. And all of that information lives online in perpetuity, eroding reputations that took years to build.

A quick search for “crisis communication” on Mashable turns up a lengthy list of situations and case studies that played out over the past year: Taco Bell being under fire for the ingredients in its ground beef, the reaction to NetFlix’s price increase, and there were plenty of political figures who had their issues. As you can imagine, the list is quite extensive.

During 2011, GroundFloor Media saw a large increase in the number of clients that were looking for answers to the “what if” social media crisis questions, and even a few clients who experienced the intersection of crisis communications and social media firsthand. We expect this trend to continue in 2012 as more and more individuals, companies and their customers continue to expand and engage in social networks.

In December, GroundFloor Media launched its proprietary Online War Room™ to help prepare businesses and organizations for scenarios that can, and will, occur on social networks. This secure tool allows our Rapid Response and social media teams to work with clients to customize training sessions and mimic online crisis and issues management situations and conversations, in real time. We all know that preparation is key in any crisis situation, and the Online War Room allows our clients to discover what they need to include in their social media response plan, test their existing response plans, refine the processes for reacting and responding to negative sentiment and misinformation, and even put executives more at ease with communicating in the social media space.

In most cases, the first 120 minutes of a crisis can determine the public’s perception of an organization, and social networks exponentially emphasize the need to be prepared for any number of public conversations and crisis-related scenarios. What are your company’s plans to effectively manage its online reputation in 2012?

~ Jim Licko

Navigating the Pinterest Craze

“I’m obsessed.”

“It’s your fault. I just can’t stop!”

“It is so addicting.”

For the last few weeks I have been receiving text messages, emails and Skype messages with these complaints from friends, family and coworkers. Why? Because I have been encouraging anyone and everyone I know that likes social media and blogging to get on board with Pinterest.

“Pinning” could be the next it verb to coincide with “tweeting,” seeing as how Pinterest is now on the list of the ten most visited social networks according to Mashable—and it is still an invitation only network.

If you have chosen to ignore the Pinterest craze, an easy way to think about the concept is that it’s the modern day equivalent of tearing out photos from magazines and newspapers and saving them all in a “someday” box under your bed. Members of the network can either chose to “repin” or “like” images from the Pinterest site, or a button on your browser that allows you to pin any image, from any website, across the entire Worldwide Web. Images that you pin are then organized by you onto virtual inspiration boards.

For example, if you love to bake then you can pin photos of cakes, cupcakes and muffins and save them all to a baking themed board. At any time you can go back to your boards to remind yourself of décor ideas, recipes, travel destinations, crafts (the list is endless) that caught your eye and pursue your passions accordingly.

I could go on and on about why Pinterest has become a personal obsession, but what I find even more exciting are the opportunities for early adopters to carve out a niche space for brands. Mashable recently published a great piece with five distinct ideas for how brands can think about leveraging Pinterest and are right to point out that smaller brands who have a hard time cutting through the clutter on Facebook might just have the chance to be a little more visible to their fans on Pinterest.

Why and How Nonprofits Should Use Pinterest and How 11 Brands are Reaching Customers on Pinterest are two other smart reads for helping marketers decide if the platform is a fit for 2012 social media strategies.

If you are considering Pinterest but still need a nudge to get started, here are a few ideas to make it work for a brand:

• You have at least one Pinterest obsessed employee who would be eager to be the Pinterest ambassador for the brand.
• Your brand story lends itself to being told through pictures, or your product inspires people to aspire. For example, Whole Foods pins photos of dream kitchens in which they’d love to cook healthy, wholesome meals while West Elm pins photos of patterns such as chevrons and stripes that inspire their designers to create the items you can buy in their stores.
• You are looking for new ways to host contests, promote products and give customers a more intimate look into the culture of your organization. In December 2011, Land's End was among the first to successfully host a national, public contest on the platform--all based on having customers pin pictures of their favorite Land's End products for the chance to win gift cards.
• You are willing to tip your hat to what inspires you or your business to succeed by pinning images and pages generated by others, not just your brand or close associates.
• Social media giants like Facebook are not moving the needle as much as you would like, and you have the capacity to try new platforms that reach your target audiences. 
• If you can think outside your own brand box and show people how your brand might influence other areas of their life, Pinterest might be for you. For example, if you own a cupcake shop, pin photos from blogs about planning great parties, or if you sell cars, pin photos of amazing road trip destinations that could be made possible by traveling in one of your vehicles

For more inspiration from brands that are doing a great job on Pinterest, read this article from Mashable which highlights recognizable names like Martha Stewart, Today (as in the show) and the Travel Channel.

Happy pinning!

~Alexis Anderson

A New Perspective

As part of GroundFloor Media’s 10th anniversary Get Giving initiative, I was a member of the Colfax Crew, the team that was supporting Colfax Community Network (CCN). As a reminder, CCN advocates for and works on behalf of children and families residing in low-income, transient housing (primarily residential motels) along Colfax Avenue by providing information, services and programs to strengthen and improve family and community life.

Before learning about CCN, I never gave too much thought to Colfax Avenue – other than thinking that it wasn’t exactly the prettiest street in town and that I didn’t want to find myself walking down it alone after dark.

I now look at it in a very different light. In fact, the other day I found myself driving down Colfax and paying particular attention to the many motels along the way. What would it be like to call one of those places home? To wake up there every morning? To live in one of those motel rooms with four or five other people, sometimes more?

Or, even worse, to worry every day about your children living in a motel that may be filled with convicted felons and sex offenders who are on parole and have been placed in Colfax motels by the Colorado Department of Corrections. In September 2011, 9News conducted an extensive investigation of sex offenders living in Colfax motels. In many cases, the motel management staff did not disclose the number of sex offenders living in their establishment, or they openly stated to undercover reporters that the motel was safe for children despite some places having more than 20 registered sex offenders living there. Read more about this issue on 9News.com.

On my drive down Colfax, I happened to see a child running down the length of a motel parking lot and couldn’t help but wonder about his life. And I thought of the kids involved in CCN’s after school program – the ones we spent an afternoon with the week before Thanksgiving. They are such amazing kids – full of so much joy and energy and promise. A particular exchange between two of the kids that afternoon especially pained me, though – and I wondered if they were mirroring some of what they see in their daily lives at the motels – aspects of life that no child should be exposed to.

And while I know that our small contribution alone won’t ultimately change these kids’ lives, it helps me to think that maybe we were able to make some sort of difference. Perhaps one of the field trips we sponsored will end up sparking an interest for one of those kids (e.g., an interest in astronomy following a trip to the Museum of Nature & Science) that helps keep them in school and out of trouble, or maybe an article of clothing we donated will help keep one of them warm this winter. Regardless, I am grateful that GroundFloor Media encouraged and allowed us to undertake this project. And I am grateful that caring people such as the employees and volunteers at CCN are working so hard every day to make life better for these kids and their families.

As we wrap up our Get Giving project, and especially as Christmas fast approaches, I feel compelled to make one more “ask” – if you would like to learn more about CCN and/or find out how you can help support the organization, please go to the organization’s website or drop us an email at getgiving@groundfloormedia.com.

~Amanda Brannum

Managing Social Media During the Holidays

The last two weeks of December become a ghost town in many offices, as employees scatter far and wide to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Social media management often falls to the wayside as team members focus on year-end reports and 2012 plans instead of Facebook updates and new blog content.

It could dangerous to assume however that just because the social media manager is away from his or her desk that your customers and followers are offline as well. In fact, many people will capitalize on quiet mornings at home during their vacation to catch up with their interests online, including social media content distributed by the companies they follow. Moreover, if you are a retailer or service provider, customers will actually expect to hear from you throughout the season—especially if they are anticipating coupons or exclusive sales for being a social media follower.

To remain relevant during the busy holiday season without over-extending a skeleton staff, below are five tips for staying on task into the New Year.

1. If your company does not already follow a monthly social media editorial calendar, draft one with daily, pre-written content from Dec. 19 – Jan. 2. This will save whoever is in charge of social media through the holidays any added pressure of being creative when he or she is hearing crickets around the office.
2. Create an “in case of emergency” social media monitoring and response team. A crisis can bubble up at any time, particularly on social media channels, and depending on the size of your business, you need to have at least two people on call for responding in a timely and effective manner. Dealing with a customer complaint from Dec. 24 on Jan. 4 is no longer considered acceptable, and could cause more harm than good if the issue spreads virally in the interim. 
3. Use the scheduling feature of a social media dashboard like Hootsuite to schedule tweets and Facebook posts on days when no one can publish content personally. However, do be sure that someone will review comments and questions that might come in from fans within a 24-hour period to maintain some sort of responsiveness. 
4. Take advantage of quiet time in the office to review your 2011 social media plan, and dedicate time to executing ideas that have sat on the back burner all year. For example, if you planned to issue at least one Facebook poll but never got around to it, draft and distribute a short poll that is relevant to the holidays and your business. We all tend to get stuck taking care of tactics when we’d rather focus on being strategic – take advantage of the time you have.
5. Ask an eager employee who enjoys social media to help with creative posts on official office closure days. For example, if a few team members will be meeting on New Year’s Day to go skiing, having them post a photo to wish fans a safe and fun holiday can give your company personality, and show that employees enjoy being together.

The holidays should be a time when we can all unplug and unwind to celebrate a successful year. Just be sure that downtime is balanced with the type of social media content and customer service that will have customers returning to your company for more in the New Year.

Or, at the very least, offer followers a sincere “best wishes” for the holidays and let them know when your company will be closed in order to allow staffers to spend quality time with loved ones. Tell fans what date to expect regular posts to commence and enjoy the downtime!

~Alexis Anderson

Tails are wagging!

If you read Kristina Reilly’s blog post in October, you learned that the GrrroundFloor Animals at GFM united to support Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine Cancer Campaign as part of GroundFloor Media’s 10th Anniversary Get Giving project. We reached our goal to donate a minimum of $2,500 and had fun putting together a video featuring all the GFM dogs. Our donation will go toward furthering research in treatment, prevention and hopefully finding a cure for canine cancer some day soon. If you forgot to donate or are looking for a good cause this holiday season to make a donation, visit the GrrroundFloor Animals fundraising donation page.

Beyond the Canine Cancer Campaign, Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) aims to help not only dogs but, all companion animals and wildlife as a national animal charity in Denver’s back yard. We asked Heidi Jeter the Director of Marketing and Communications to tell us more about ways to give and what our efforts mean to the future of animal health. Our team is very passionate about helping our furry family members – you might just run into one of our four-legged friends if you stop by our office impromptu - and hope our efforts lead to finding a cure.

What does GroundFloor Media's donation mean to MAF and the future for canines?

Cancer is the no. 1 cause of death for dogs over the age of 2. The only way to beat this disease is through scientific study. Unfortunately, there is little government funding for animal health studies, so scientists who want to help animals depend on organizations like Morris Animal Foundation for their funding. GroundFloor Media’s donation will help us make a difference in preventing and treating cancer in dogs.

When did the Canine Cancer Campaign start and how can people get involved?

Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine Cancer Campaign is an unprecedented global effort to prevent, treat and, ultimately, cure cancer in dogs. It launched in 2007 with the goals of learning how to better diagnose, prevent and treat cancer in dogs. The Foundation currently is funding 39 canine cancer studies. Some of the cancers being studied are bladder cancer, lymphoma, bone cancer, mast cell tumors and soft-tissue sarcomas.

There are lots of ways to support the campaign, many of them are listed on our website at www.CureCanineCancer.org, including.

· Donating in memory or honor of a special dog

· Participating in a Morris Animal Foundation K9 Cancer Walk

· Hosting a dog walk to benefit the Canine Cancer Campaign

· Creating a personal Cure Canine Cancer fundraising Web page

· Sharing your survivor stories or memories

We also have some great gift items on our website at http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/make-a-difference/shop-smart.html. These include animal-themed ornaments, wine, pet tags and a lot more. Part of the proceeds from all of these items benefits Morris Animal Foundation.

Are there any connections between canine cancer and human cancer, especially around research?

Cancer is similar in dogs and humans. What researchers learn from dogs may lead to cancer prevention and treatment breakthroughs for humans and vice versa—treatments being used in humans successfully are now being studied for dogs. Different breeds also develop different types of cancer, which indicates strong genetic factors. Learning more about the genetic connections in dogs could help researchers studying human cancers as well.

Tell us about the K9 Cancer Walk? When is it and how can I participate?

The K9 Cancer Walk program raises funds for its Canine Cancer Campaign, which funds prevention and treatment research to help dogs enjoy longer, healthier, cancer-free lives. In 2011, the Foundation hosted five walks nationwide including the first-ever in Denver. The 2012 walk schedule isn’t finalized yet, but people can visit www.K9CancerWalk.org to learn more.

~ Carrie Odberg

Kids on Colfax

Thanksgiving came a bit early to GroundFloor Media (GFM) this year.

In the weeks leading up to the annual kick-off to the holiday season, Alexis Anderson, Amanda Brannum, Kimmie Greene, Laura Love-Aden and Jennefer Traeger, aka the Colfax Crew, set out to collect personal hygiene products and clothing donations to support the Colfax Community Network (CCN), an organization dedicated to providing information and programs to the children and families residing in low-income and transient housing (primarily residential motels) along Colfax Avenue in Denver.

On Nov. 17, the team filled three cars with donated goods and that was just the beginning.

Once the cars were unloaded, the fun began as the team spent the afternoon volunteering with the kids from the CCN afterschool program. The program strives to create an afternoon of “normalcy” – a break for kids who are likely heading home to unpredictable circumstances.

The kids, ranging in age from 5-11, gathered together to read and share stories about the day before eating homemade snacks and starting homework. Toward the end of our time together, pencils and notebooks were traded in for straw hats and stuffing to build two scarecrows for the CCN garden. The GFM team worked with the kids throughout the afternoon, engaging them about their favorite foods, music and hobbies, as well as helping them with spelling and math.

We felt lucky and proud to spend time with the kids and staff at CCN and urge anyone with two hours to spare to reach out and volunteer their time. The connections are invaluable and remind us in the midst of the mayhem of Black Friday and Cyber Monday about the true meaning of the holidays and giving.

Our involvement with Colfax Community Network is part of the agency’s 10th Anniversary Get Giving campaign. GFM is celebrating 10 years in business by donating a total of $10,000 to four Denver-area nonprofits – $2,500 per organization – Colfax Community Network, Underwearness, Morris Animal Foundation and Dress for Success. In addition to the cash donation, GFM staff divided up into four teams to collect community donations and volunteer time for each organization.